Buckle



I Oct. 27, 1936. J. WlLLlAMs- BUCKLE Filed Nov. 50, 19:55

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 27, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE James Williams,Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application November 30, 1935, Serial No. 52,360

3 Claims.

One object of this invention is the provision of a novel buckle adaptedfor use on straps, belts, and the like, and wherever else buckles may beused, and more particularly adapted for narrow straps, ribbons, or tapessuch as are used to support womens' garments.

Afurther object is the provision of such abuckle whereby the loose endof the strap is securely locked thereon without sewing, the eliminationof which operation results in a saving of time and labor as well asmaterial.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a buckle bymeans of which the strap may be lengthened or shortened by simplypulling one layer of the strap in one direction or the other through thebuckle. After adjustment in length, the buckle without furthermanipulation prevents slipping of the strap in either direction.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the descriptionbelow in which characters of reference referred to similarly arenumbered parts in the accompanying drawing.

Referring briefly to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a considerably enlarged front view illustrating the buckleapplied to a thin strap or ribbon.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front View of the buckle per se.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a front view of a modified form of the buckle, which isparticularly adapted for larger and thicker straps such as belts.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral l indicates the shoulderstrap of a garment and the numeral I I the lower suspension strap whichis fastened to the front of the supported garment. A ring I2 sewed onthe strap II is supported in a loop I3 formed in the strap Ill below thebuckle.

The buckle comprises a substantially rectangular relatively fiat platel4 having a relatively wide slot I at one end and a similar slot H5 atthe other end. Intermediate these two slots is a narrow slot l1extending about one-half of the length (of the slots l5 and 16) acrossthe plate M. The slot I1 communicates with a wider slot 18, the distancefrom the beginning of the slot I! to the end of the slot I8 being equalto the length of the slots l5 and IS. A pointed tooth I9 is formed outof the material of the plate l4 and projects at an upward angle acrossthe greater portion of the width of the slot l8.

The buckle I4 is mounted on the strap Ill before the upper end of thestrap (not shown) is sewed to the back of the supported garment. Thisupper end is first inserted through the slot l'I-IB and the strap I0 ispulled therethrough until the end portion 20, of the approximate lengthshown in Figure 2, remains. It is to be noted that this passing of thestrap l0 through the slot I1 is done from the rear of the plate towardthe front. In inserting the strap in the slot II, that side of the strapwhich spreads into the slot 18 is first pulled through the slot l8,which causes the other side of the strap to enter the slot l1. Then thestrap I0 is turned into the slot l5 and pulled through this slot andpassed down the back side of the buckle. The loop I3 is then formed bypassing the strap ll] through the ring l2. Then the strap I0 is passedfrom the bottom through the slot l6 and around that portion of the strapwhich lies against the tooth l9, and finally rearward through the slotl5 and then upward past the buckle. The free end of the strap I0 is thensewed to the rear of the garment.

It is to be noted that the length of the lower end 20 of the strap whichextends below the slot I1 is very short, and this end of the strap issecured firmly against being pulled out of the buckle by means of thenarrow slot I! alone. The slot I! is only that much wider than thethickness of the strap 10 to permit insertion of the strap therethrough.It is the narrowness of this slot I! alone that locks the end 20 to theportion Illa of the strap. The usual sewing of the end 20 to the portionIlla is eliminated and a saving of length of strap for each buckle isobtained because ln order to sew the end 20 to its adjacent strapportion, it is necessary to have the end 20 considerably longer than isthe case with the present invention. The tooth l9 digs into the bend ofthe strap where the strap passes around this tooth but, it does notpierce the strap at this point. The hump formed by the tooth and itsadjacent strap section acts as a resisting brake to any sliding tendencyof the outer strap section lob when the weight of the garment issupported by the strap.

In order to adjust the length of the strap, the latter is first freed ofthe weight of the garment to release the tension at the lower end of thestrap. Then the portion Hlb is simply pulled in either direction, thatis, upward to lengthen the strap or downward to shorten it. This pullingis accomplished with very little effort, as by loosening the strap atthe point lflb there is very little friction to resist the upward ordownward sliding of the strap. When the weight is again restored to thelower end of the strap, the garment remains fixed in the new position,as the end 20 cannot slip because it is locked in the slot I1 and thefriction against the section Illb because of the hump between thissection and the buckle is suificient to prevent slipping of that side ofthe strap.

In the form of buckle shown in Figure 5, the structure is the same asthat for the abovedescribed form with the exception that the slot I6 isprovided on its outer edge with teeth 2|. These teeth serve to dig intothe relatively harder leather belts.

Obviously modifications in formand structure, may be made withoutdeparting fromthe spirit" and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A strap buckle comprising a substantially flat plate having arelatively wide slot at one end and a similar slot parallel with thefirst slot at the other end, a third slot intermediate said first namedslots having one side relatively narrow and the other side relativelywide,-said narrow slot serving to prevent pulling of the straptherethrough, said wider side of said intermediate slot having a toothprojecting thereinto.

2. A strap buckle comprising a substantially fiat plate having arelatively wide slot at one end and a similar slot parallel with thefirst slot at the other end, a third slot intermediate said first namedslots having one side relatively narrow and the other side relativelywide, said narrow slot serving to prevent pulling of the straptherethrough, said wider side of said intermediate slot having a toothprojecting thereinto, said tooth projecting angularly upward from thesurface of said plate. and smoother surface of heavier straps, such as3. A strap buckle comprising a substantially flat plate having arelatively wide slot at one end and a similar slot parallel with thefirst slot at the other end, a third slot intermediate said first namedslots having one side relatively narrow

